Before jumping into 12 kinds of verbs in English, you should know that verbs are a significant part of a sentence, without which a subject cannot make a sense in a sentence. In English basically, there are three types of verbs:

1. The Action verbs or Normal verbs that are usually physical actions which you can see somebody doing. 

2. The second group, called “Non-Continuous Verbs,” is a smaller group. These verbs are usually things you cannot see somebody doing.

3. The third group is mixed verbs. These verbs have more than one meaning. In a way, each meaning is unique. Some meanings behave like “Non-Continuous Verbs,” while other meanings behave like “Normal Verbs.” They are divided into different types according to their functions and forms. In the lesson below we will talk about 12 kinds of verbs in English.

Also Read: 10 Kinds Of Nouns With Definition And Examples

12 Kinds of Verbs in English

1. Transitive Verbs: Transitive verbs are action verbs that have an object to receive that action.

• She drinks water. (Object)
• He drove the car. (Object)

2. Intransitive Verbs: Intransitive verbs are actions verbs but unlike transitive verbs, they do not have an object receiving the action.

• The sun shines.
• She is crying.

Some verbs like (cheer, sing, visit, trip) can be transitive or intransitive, depending on how they are used in a sentence. 

• He sang.
• He sang a song.
• Ali tripped. 
• Ali tripped Hussain. 

3. Dynamic/ Event Verbs: The verbs, in which the body movement is involved, are called dynamic or event verbs. These verbs show continued or progressive action on the part of the subject. Example of dynamic verbs are: act, build, complete, design, draw, gather, help, interview, justify, listen, negotiate, outline, perform, record, save, show, travel, uncover, value, write, zoom… 

• She was writing a letter.
• They are playing in the playground.

4. Stative Verbs: The verbs that express a state rather than an action. They usually show mental feelings, emotions, state of a person, place, relationships, sense, and measurements.

• I believe in God.
• I am believing in God.
• It sounds like a great idea.
• It is sounding like a great idea.
• I feel your sadness.
• I am feeling your sadness.
• Please forgive him.

Some verbs like the verb to be, think, have and see can be both stative verbs and dynamic verbs depending on their meaning.  

• He is an intelligent teacher. (stative verb)
• He is teaching the students. (dynamic verb)

5. Perception/Sensation Verbs: The verbs which show our five senses are called perception/ sensation verbs.

• I smell the flowers.
• He is listening to the radio.
• I feel great today.

6. Linking/Copular/Predicating Verbs: Linking verbs do not express action. Instead, they connect the subject of the verb to additional information about the subject. These verbs are usually followed by an adjective or a noun.
The following verbs are true linking verbs: any form of the verb be [am, is, are, was, were, has been, are being, might have been, etc.], become, and seem. These true linking verbs are always linking verbs. Then you have a list of verbs with multiple personalities: appear, feel, grow, look, prove, remain, smell, sound, taste, and turn. Sometimes these verbs are linking verbs; sometimes they are action verbs.

Also Read: 10 Kinds Of Adjective In English

7. Phrasal/Prepositional Verbs: The verb which is formed by the combination of a preposition or adverbial particle is called Phrasal/prepositional verb.
Because a preposition always has an object, all prepositional verbs have direct objects.

• I believe in God.
• He is looking after the dog.
• They are talking about the issue.

8. Modal Auxiliary Verbs: Modal verbs are words like can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to etc. They are used with other verbs to express ideas such as possibility, prediction, speculation, deduction, and necessity. Or modal verbs show different moods and attitudes of the speaker.

• You should work hard.
• The weather may be colder tomorrow.
  Click here to learn more about modal auxiliary verbs.

9. Helping Verbs/Auxiliary Verbs: Auxiliary (or Helping) verbs are used together with a main verb to show the verb’s tense or to form a negative or question. The most common auxiliary verbs are: have, has, had, do, does, did and to be verbs.

• Have they completed the assignment?
• Ali is writing an e-mail to a client at the moment.

10. Hypothesis Verbs: These verbs are usually followed by subjunctives.  Here, we wish against the present facts in the present, and the formulas are given like;
1. Sub + wish + (that) + sub. + the past indefinite tense
2. Sub + wish + (that) + sub. + were + object
3. Sub + wish + (that) + sub. + had + object

• I wish that he helped me. (Means he does not help me)
• I wish that he were a good teacher. (Means he is not a good teacher)
• She wishes that I had the latest car. (Means I have not the latest car)

Here, we wish against the past facts in the present, and the formulas are given like;
1. Sub + wish + (that) + sub + the past perfect tense
2. Sub + wish + (that) + sub. + had been the + object
3. Sub + wish + (that) + sub. + had had + object

• I wish that he had taken admission. (Means he did not take admission)
• I wish that I had been in London. (Means I was not in London)
• She wishes that I had had a bus. (Means I had not a bus)

Click here to learn more about hypothesis verb “Wish.”

11. Causative Verbs: In causative verbs, we do not perform an action directly, but we get it done indirectly by someone else means by the second person. The formula will be changed according to the absence or presence of the second person. English has three true causative verbs: let, have, make, but there are other verbs such as to cause, allow, help, enable, keep, hold, force, require and persuade indeed which are not causative verbs but similarly used as causative verbs. Click here to learn more about causative verbs.

• He gets Ali to wash his car.
• He has Nadir help him.

12. Regular and Irregular Verbs:
Regular Verbs: Regular verbs are those verbs whose past tense and past participle (2nd and 3rd forms) are formed by adding “d” or “ed” to the end of the verb.

• Cook = cooked
• Play = played

Irregular Verbs: Irregular verbs are those verbs that do not take ‘ed’ ending for their past tense and past participle (2nd and 3rd forms). Click here to learn more about regular and irregular verbs.

• Teach = taught
• Write = wrote = written

Also Read: 10 Kinds Of Pronouns In English